Apparatus for treating traveling filamentary material with fluid media



July 25, 1950 J. B. BLAKE 2,516,177

APPARATUS FOR TREATING TRAVELING FILAMENTARY MATERIAL WITH FLUID MEDIA Filed July 6, 1944 INVENTOR.

qoH N B.BLAKE. BY WWW ATTORNEYS Patented July 25, 1950 r APPARATUS FOR, TREATING TRAVELING FILAMENTARY MATERIAL WITH FLUID I MEDIA John B. Blake, Frostburg, Md., assignor to Gelanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application July '6, 1944, Serial No. 543,879

7 Claims. (Cl. 68-4) This invention relates to the treatment of artificial yarns and other filamentary materials. and relates more particularly to improvements in apparatus in which artificial yarns and other filamentary materials are subjected to treatment with fluids under pressure and stretched to improve their tenacity.

An object of this invention is the provision in a yarn stretching apparatus of means for exhausting from the atmosphere steam or other vapors escaping through an orifice in the treating chamber of said apparatus.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a novel jet retaining face plate for removing steam or other vapors from the yarn as they pass from the treating chamber.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device for removing broken ends from a warp of yarns emerging from the treating chamber.

Other objects of this invention, together with certain details of construction and combinations of parts, will appear from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawing.

In devices for improving the tenacity of artificial filaments, threads, yarns and other materials wherein said materials are stretched during their passage through a chamber containing steam, solvent vapors or hot water under pressure, the materials treated leave the chamber through small orifices. Similar arrangements are also found in devices for steam crepe-twisting of cellulose acetate yarns and in devices for effecting a shrinkage of yarns. In all such devices a fiow of steam or other vapor is emitted from the chamber through the orifices. This vaporous current unless controlled may exert undesirable effects on the materials being treated, particularly when the pressure in the treating chamber is high. Thus, the vaporous current emitted simultaneously with the yarn and in the same direction as the yarn may exert an undesirable tension on the yarn. These vaporous currents may also prevent uniform treatment of the yarn as the period of cooling of the materials as they emerge from the treating chamber depends upon the length of the path of the yarns in the vaporous current which obviously varies with the air cross-currents in the room, the number of ends down. the air disturbances induced by and dependent upon the size and speed of take-up packages and the like. Furthermore, the steam or other vapor escaping into the atmosphere, fogs the same and may even cause physical discomfort to those working in the room.

The above devices may operate on a single end device. v

I have now discovered that the disadvantages present in the use of devices used in the treatment of a warp of yarns may be substantially eliminated and a more uniformly treated yarn produced by drawing the vaporous current and broken ends from the path of the materials as the materials I pass from the treating chamber into the atmosphere. This I accomplish by a novel arrangement of parts, none of which contact, or obstruct the free passage of, the materials or interfere with the threading-up of the device or in the tying in of broken ends.

In accordance with my invention, the above advantages are effected by means of a novel jet face that has a baflie plate having an inclined surface and positioned adjacent to the orifices in the jet face and preferably below the path of the yarn issuing therefrom. The vapor escaping from the orifices of the treating chamber causes the air adjacent to the said orifices to move, thus leaving a low pressure area about the orifices. The baille plate interrupts the air flow towards the orifices for a low pressure-high velocity area below said orifices, thereby directing the vapor and broken ends in a path substantially parallel to the inclined surface of the battle plate. The escaping vapor and broken ends are thus deflected without actually contactingthe baflle plate. The vapor is collected and exhausted by means of a flue positioned at the lower edge of the inclined surface of the baflle plate and reclaimed or led outside of the building housing the yarn treating devices.

In one form of my invention, the baflle plate is formed as a part of the face plate that is adaptof my invention are shown,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation view of the issuing end of the drawing chamber,

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 and -derstood that the ballle plate and the flue Fig. 3 is a detailed view; m.m mon, of a modified form of my invention employing a detachable baille plate.

Like reference numerals indicate likes-zi i fl throughout the several views of the drawing In the drawings, the reference numeral l generally indicates a treating chamber such as, for instance, as more fully described in U. 8. Patent. No. 2,142,721 to Dreyfus et al. This treating chamber may be in any desired form, rectangular as shown in the drawing, elliptical or circular in '1 the same iscutaway to expose the openings if in the Jet plate. This baflie plate may be attached to the faceplate by welding or screws inserted in Y the attaching strip It. However, I have found that when thisse'parable baille plate is made of heavy material such as sheet iron, it can be held in position, by its own weight and will rest on message in the face plate with the outer end supported on the tensioning nuts l of the lower ,tierods 1. thebaille plate being made of a size suiiiclent to extend across the full width of the cross-section. The exit or discharge end of the plate 3 there may be welded or otherwise attached a reinforcing member 9 having oriflces Ii therein which register with the openings I! in the jet plate. Any suitable number of orifices II and registering openings l2 may be positioned across the face of the Jet plate 3, the size of said orifices and openings being such as to permit a yarn is to pass therethrough with a minimum of clearance so that the passage of undue amount of treating fluid is prevented. However, the openings must be of a size suiiicient to avoid frictional contact with the yarn. The treating chamber may be provided with the necessary pipes,

valves, gages and other means (not shown) for suppl ng to the chamber the treating fluid and ,for ma ntaining the same at the desired heat and pressure.

In accordance with my invention, there is provided at the exit end of the chamber a baffle plate generally indicated by reference numeral I! having surface l4 inclined in the direction of the path of the yarn issuing from the treating chamber. The baille plate H is also provided with an integral extension i5 which may be integral with the face plate I, as shown in Fig. 2. The baiile plate extends across the full width of that portion of the discharge end of the treating chamber which is provided with orifices I l and openings l2.

In operation, the vapor which is indicated by reference numeral i6 escaping from the orifices ii and openings I! of the treating chamber causes the air adjacent to said orifices to move, leaving a low pressure area about the same and around the same, the air in the room rushing to enter into the low pressure-high velocity area below the escaping vapor It. The vapor l6, and

any broken ends, are thereby pulled downwardly and follow a path substantially parallel to the inclined surface it of the baffle plate l4. At no time do the traveling ends come in contact with any part of the baille plate. The escaping vapor It may be exhausted by means of a suitable fine or conduit II which may be similar to the one shown and described in U. S. application 519,822,

flled January 26, 1944, now a patent numbered 2,438,549, dated March 30, 1948. It is to be unmay be positioned on the side of the orifices il' opposite to that shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 3 there is shown a modified form of my invention wherein the baflle plate It is made separate from the face treating chamber.

Myinvention may be employed in all textile devices where yarns, filaments or threads are treated under heat and pressure with fluid media such as hot water, steam, vapors of solvent or softening agents for the materials being treated,

shrinking agents or saponifying agents therefor.

However, my invention isparticularly applicable plate and has a shoulder I8 and an attaching strip Is for suitably affixing the baiiie plate to :the face plate, the shoulder It being adapted to fit on the ledge formed on the face plate where to the treatment of filamentary materials having a basis of a thermoplastic filament-forming substance to stretch said materials or to apply a crepe-twist thereto. In stretching or crepetwisting operations involving the use of steam under pressure, it is of great importance that the duration of contact between the yarn and steam be accurately controllable. In this respect, this invention has the advantage of removing the steam from the yarn immediately at the exit end of the treating chamber, thus definitely terminating contact between the steam and the yarn at a given point and this is accomplished without contacting the yarn or modifying the jet plates normally employed on this type of device.

While the present apparatus is particularly effective in the treatment of yarn having a basis of cellulose acetate, it may be employed in the treatment of filamentary materials having a basi of other organic derivatives such as cellulose propionate and cellulose butyrate, cellulose others such as methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose and benzyl cellulose as well as mixed esters and ester-ether of cellulose. Filamentary materials having a basis of linear polyamide condensation products and of synthetic resins may also be treated in accordance with the device of the present invention.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of iilustration and that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having'described my invention, whatl desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for the treatment of travelling materials with fluid media comprising in comof and wholly out of contact with the treated materials passing from said chamber.

2. Apparatus for the treatment of traveling materials with fluid media comprising, in combination with a substantially closed chamber for receiving fluid for the treatment of materials, a jet plate having a jet opening therein positioned in an end wall of said treating chamber, a face plate mounted over said jet plate and having an opening for exposing the jet opening, and an inclined plate, outside of said chamber and extending away from said end wall and from the opening in said face plate in a direction away from the treated filaments passing from said chamber, positioned at one side of said jet opening for causingfluid issuing therefrom to flow in a direction away from the treated material passing from said chamber.

3. Apparatus for the treatment of traveling materials with fluid media comprising, in combination with a substantially closed chamber for receiving fluid for the treatment of materials, a jet plate having a plurality of jets mounted in alignment therein positioned in an end wall of said treating chamber, a face plate mounted over said jet plate having an opening for exposing the jets, and an inclined plate, outside of said chamber and extending from one edge of the opening in a direction away from the treated fllaments passing from said chamber and positioned parallel to said aligned jets, for causing fluid issuing from said jets to flow in a direction away from the treated materials passing from said chamber.

4. Apparatus for the treatment of traveling materials with fluid media comprising, in combination with a substantially closed chamber for receiving fluid for the treatment of materials, a

jet plate having a plurality of jets mounted in alignment thereinpositioned in an end wall of said treating chamber, a face plate adapted to hold said jet plate in position and having an opening therein for exposing that part of the jet plate containing said jets, and a baiiie plate outside of said chamber extending away from said end wall transversely of and below in a direction away from the treated materials passing from said chamber.

5. Apparatus for the treatment of traveling materials with fluid media comprising, in combination with a, substantially closed chamber for receiving fluid for the treatment of materials, a jet plate having a plurality of jets therein positioned in an end wall of said treating chamber, a face plate provided with an opening therein for exposing said jets, and a detachable baflle plate outside of said chamber and extending away from said end wall, said baflie plate having a surface inclined in the direction away from the path of the material issuing from the treating chamber positioned in said opening in the face plate for causing fluid issuing from said jets to flow in a direction away from the material passing from said chamber.

6. Apparatus for the treatment of traveling materials with fluid media comprising, in combination with a substantially closed chamber for receiving fluid for the treatment of materials and having an opening in an endwall thereof, an inclined plate outside of said chamber positioned at one ide of said opening and extending away from said end wall in a direction away from the treated filaments passing from saidchamber for causing fluid issuing therefrom to flow in a direction away from the treated materials passing from said chamber, and a conduit positioned to receive the fluid passing from said means.

7. Apparatus for the treatment of traveling materials with fluid media comprising, in combination with a substantially closed chamber for receiving fluid for the treatment of materials, a jet plate having a plurality of jets therein positioned in an endwall of said treating chamber, a face plate provided with an opening therein for exposing said jets, and a detachable baflle plate outside of said chamber and extending away from said end wall, said baille plate having a surface inclined in the direction of the path away from the material issuing from the treating chamber positioned in said opening in the face plate for causing fluid issuing from said jets to flow in a direction away from the material passing from said chamber and a conduit positioned to receive the fluid passing from said baflie.

JOHN B. BLAKE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Dreyfus Apr. 27, 1943 

1. APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF TRAVELING MATERIALS WITH FLUID MEDIA COMPRISING IN COMBINATION WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED CHAMBER FOR RECEIVING FLUID FOR THE TREATMENT OF MATERIALS PASSING THERETHROUGH AND HAVING AN OPENING IN AN END WALL THEREOF THROUGH WHICH THE MATERIALS PASS FROM SAID CHAMBER, A PLATE FOR CAUSING FLUID ISSUING FROM SAID OPENING TO FLOW IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE TREATED MATERIALS PASSING FROM SAID CHAMBER, SAID PLATE BEING ON THE OUTSIDE OF SAID CHAMBER ON ONE SIDE OF SAID OPENING AND BEING INCLINED IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE PATH OF AND WHOLLY OUT OF CONTACT WITH THE TREATED MATERIALS PASSING FROM SAID CHAMBER. 